Saturday and a little Susan time at Starbucks

It is the last Saturday of August and I needed to work on my blog so I would spend a little time at Starbucks by my house today. Now I will give a quick update on my nails as I have had them for 2 weeks now and really like them. I did get 2 comments ate work this week. The first on Wednesday the supervisor from our office I have talked to about nails again and was the reason I got the French fade last fall was in today so I had something for her so I went and handed them to her and made sure I did it so she could see my nails. She really liked them and said how pretty they were and she really liked the line of silver glitter on them. I thanked her and we talked briefly about nails. The other was another co-worker who always shows me her nails showed me her new nails so I showed her mine. Now I am sure everyone else have noticed them and just don’t say anything. I did go to the gym this morning and did some work around the house today so it wasn’t till 1pm when I started getting ready today. I took my time and did a purple eye shadow and red lipstick. I was already about 2:30pm and decided to go to the Starbucks right by my house.

I got to Starbucks and went in; they were a little busy so I did have to stand in line but there were a couple tables open so I set my computer down before I ordered. Now the young lady working the counter was new or at least I had not seen her here before but she was awesome. I got my drink and sat down and started working on my blog from Wednesday nights dinner. This really is a relaxing way to spend a couple hours doing things I need to do anyway. There really is something special about being out with other people as my female self. Now I talk a lot about how my male and female sides combined to make me the person I am and make me the complete person I am, but there are also differences between the two sides of me. some can be very simple like the fac as my male self I don’t like wearing jewelry not even a watch whereas my female self I don’t feel right without my ring and bracelet. One of the big differences is as my male self I am fine being on my own whereas when I am my female self I really like to be around other people even if it is at Starbucks or out shopping. That is another thing I enjoy when I am out as Susan and that is people watching. I finished my blog and posted it and then started other work.

It was about 4:30 and I got anther drink and decided to move outside for a while as there were a few people sitting out at the tables. The table by the door was open, which is where I like to sit as I can watch the people come and go. Now after a few minutes I started to second guess my moving outside as it was hot, about 90 degrees and no breeze. I decided to stay outside as I d like being very visible. Caught up on some e-mails and did some research on some stocks I bought last week.

I had been working a while when I heard someone say Hi Susan, it has been a while and I looked up and it was Tim & Anthony. I actually met them here one year ago, the end of last August. Now I haven’t seen them for several months and yes I did have to look back in my blogs to find their names. They stood there and talked with me for about 5 minutes before they went inside to get their drinks. It was nice to talk with them and as I said over the last couple years I have gotten to know a few people who come to Starbucks. On their way out they wished me a nice day. It was a good day. Now by 5:30 I was done as the heat was getting to me so I packed up and went home for the night. I made dinner and had a quiet night at home watching TV.

Now I am looking forward to tomorrow and some more Susan time. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Wednesday night dinner at Swagat Indian Cuisine restaurant with my friends.

It is another Wednesday and I get to have dinner with my friends tonight at Swagat Indian Cuisine in Portland. I did call last night for reservations but they don’t take reservations for groups less then 6 and we only have 5 of us tonight but we shouldn’t have trouble being a Wednesday night. I got home from work about 5pm and started getting ready. Now going out so much 3 to 4 times a week has really helped me as I can get ready from start to finish in 30 to 40 minutes now if I need to and don’t want to take the time to enjoy getting ready. On the weekend I di take longer as I really do love the time getting ready and doing my makeup, as I did my makeup I was figuring out my outfit for the night and settled on my green dress. Tonight I did my smokey eye look with deep browns and my silver eye shadow on the inner corner. I also did my brick red matte lipstick which is long wearing but decided to put some lip gloss on it for the shine. I have done this a couple times before and it does affect how long wearing it is mainly on the inner lip area. I was all ready by a little after 5:30 and got a few pictures before I was on my way to pick up Julie.

I got to Julies right at 6pm and Julie was all ready and looking beautiful as always. It was great to see her and I actually look forward to her riding with me and also spending a little time talking with her before we leave. Of course I had to show off my nails and Julie loved them. I told her she should get hers done like this next time. We sat and talked for about 20 minutes before we left. The traffic was lite so it was a nice drive and we talked the whole way there. E got to Swagat about 6:45 and I decided to drive through their small parking lot just in case I got lucky. They only have 8 spots and tonight 2 were open so we got to park close. Jule and I walked in and they were not really busy. The lady at the desk told us to pick out a table so we did and sat down to wait. It was only a few minutes later and Christie and Sandra showed up, they also road together. Sandra lives out by Hood River but is working a job just south of Portland and had posted on our group looking for a place to stay for the next couple months and Christie had a room which works out great for them.

We sat and talked for a few minutes before we looked at the menu of course as always I already knew what I would have, as I always get the same thing. Chicken Makhani, which is a chicken breast cooked in a butter sauce. I am not a spicy or hot food girl and this is very mild and really good. We all ordered ad then sat and talked. I really enjoy these dinners and when we get big groups it is awesome as it is great to see so many girls out. When I first joined the Rose City T-Girls group 15 years ago we were excited if we could get 6 to 8 girls out on a Friday or Saturday night at a gay club that did drag shows. Now 15 years later there are times we can get 15 or more girls out for a Wednesday night dinner at a restaurant which is awesome, but tonight it was a smaller group which is just as nice as it is more personal and easy for us all to talk together and be involved in the same conversation. Again these dinners really are more about getting together with friends and socializing so where we go is not as important as the people who show up. Now we used to mostly go downtown Portland as that is the central location as we have members who live all around Portland, from Vancouver, to Gresham, Beaverton, and south but as some areas of Porland are not as safe anymore we have been moving around the area to try and make it close to everyone at some point so one person is not driving long distances all the time. It also gives us a chance to go to many places and be visible.

I really think it is important for us to be out and visible so people can see us and how we act and who we are. There is a lot in the news now days on both sides, good and bad and unfortunately most people will make their opinion up on what they hear and not who we really are as they may never get a chance to personally see, meet or interact with someone who is transgender. By being out and being visible we as a group or personally can change this but we all have to remember when we are out we are the face of all transgender people. How we act and how people perceive us has a huge impact on them as this very well could be there only tine they see a transgender person in person. Tonight we were no different then anyone else here other than how we presented. We were out just like them to have dinner with friends.

Our food came and it was good as always. We had an enjoyable dinner and great conversation and got to know Sandra better. She is new to our group and this is only her 3^rd dinner out. She is full time and transitioning to be her true self. We had a wonderful dinner and great conversation and just a really enjoyable time. I did remember to get a group picture of us as we have been posting in our group for the last year as it is a great way to encourage other girls to come out and join us but we also put our names on the picture so girls can put a face to the names. It was about 8:45 when we paid our bills and called it a night. Not sure where we will go next week for dinner but thinking we should go to the East side as it has been a couple months sense we had dinner out there. We all said goodbye and Julie and I got in my car for the drive back to Julies.

The drive back to Julies was nice and as always Julie and I talked more. We talked about me going down to visit her in Palm Springs again probably in March. It was so much fun last year and I am looking forward to it next spring. It is always sad to see the night come to an end. It was about 9:20pm when I dropped Julie off at her house and made the drive home alone. At home I washed away my makeup and that is the official end of the evening and yes I had a little more wear on my lipstick from the gloss I put on but still looked good. Now it was time for bed. Now I am looking forward to the weekend and some more Susan time.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

 

 

 

 

A little Susan time at Starbucks on a smokey day

It is Sunday and wee have some smoke that blew in late yesterday so it won’t be as hot as they predicted only about 88 degrees today. Now although there is smoke it is not that bad as far as smell. Now my only plan for the day was a few hours at my Sunday Starbucks to catch up on things and especially my blog and I was thinking about sitting outside maybe. It was a little after noon and just in case the smoke got worse I figured I would water my grape plants and palm trees. Well I got my hose out and which I bought a few months back, one of those pocket hoses that expands and collapses and turned on the water and it blew out, so now I need a new hose so guess I will be making a trip to Home Depot today. I started getting ready and again did a thinner eyebrow and a brick red lipstick but today I didn’t over draw any part of my lips to see how that would look. Now as I need to go to Home Depot I decided to wear my short black supper dress and black tights as this is a nice casual daytime outfit plus in my pictures I can show my nails off better as the tip shows up better against the black dress. I was all ready by 1:30pm so a little early then normal but I do need to go to Home Depot first. I did get a few pictures and then was on my way.

It only took about 15 minutes to get to Home Depot and as I drove I thought about how far I have come. 20 years ago I would have told you I would never be going to Home Depot as my female self. 20 years ago I was working on courage just to go into a Gay club that did drag shows and when I did it was always after dark where people couldn’t get a good look at me and now I am going to Home Depot in the middle of the day, of course I have done this before as I said I now do most of my shopping as Susan as it is another way my female side can be an active part of my life and not just a special event part. I got to Home Depot and parked by the garden center as that is where the garden hoses are but do to the smoke they had that entrance closed and the registers out there closed so I had to walk to the main door and go in and back to the garden center. I had researched a little before I left and decided on one called AquaJoe as it is still a light weight but looks a little more sturdy and is not one that expands when you fill with water. I got my hose and went to the registers and yes they had 1 lane open with a checker and a line and then the self-checkout so that was where I went. I paid and had to walk all the way back across the front of the building to my car as where I parked was about as far away from the exit as I could get.

I got to my normal Sunday Starbucks right at 2:30pm and went in. There were a few people sitting outside but there was a little wind and even though the smoke smell wasn’t bad I did figure sitting outside for any length of time would make me smell a little of smoke and also my clothes and hair so I decided I would sit inside and maybe when it gets closer to the time I leave move outside for maybe 30 minutes. I got my drink and sat down by the window to work on my computer. I sent out the invite for our Monday zoom call and picked where we would have dinner Wednesday night and sent it out so I could get a head count as I like to make reservations on Tuesdays. I actually have an excel spread sheet that I have used to keep track of where we go each week sense late last year and who goes each week. Makes it easier to pick a place and space them out plus I can see which places seem to get a better turnout.

I took care of some things I had to do on my computer, one of the great things about computers now is you can work from anywhere if you have Wi-Fi connection. It is way more fun to sit in a Starbucks as my female self then sitting at home on my computer or worse doing it as my male self. I stayed at Starbucks till a little after 5 and yes stayed inside the whole time before leaving and going home for the night. At home I made dinner and did some laundry and watched a movie as I ate.

Now, as I couldn’t water earlier, so it was about 8:30pm when I went out back and watered my grape plants as Susan and then moved out to the front to water my palm trees at the front of my yard.

It was a good day and now I am looking forward to the week ahead. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

 

Saturday and going to the Escape tonight

It is Saturday August 19^th and I have a busy morning planned as I take my car in for service at 10:30am but I did hit the gym first as I am still going every Saturday. Now while I was at the Toyota dealer waiting for my car I finished and post my blog from last Sunday, yes a week behind again. I did post to the group I would be at the Escape tonight at 5:30 and stay till 7 to see if others show up. It was a little after noon when I got home and made a quick lunch before doing a little yard work and watering my grape plants and palm trees as we are going back into hot weather, so today I didn’t even start getting ready till after 2pm. Now as it was later in the day and I was going to the Escape I decided to go with a more dramatic makeup look. Yes I would stop at a Starbucks for an hour or so but mostly about the escape.

I did a deeper smokey eye look and yes fully lined my eyes with my waterproof eye liner. I also did a little thinner eyebrow and of course a full bold red lipstick. I was all ready by 3:30 and I liked the look but really is more for an evening out. I did think about wearing my short black dress as it would have gone great with this look but that really would be much for my stop at Starbucks plus it tends to be cold in the Escape as they always seem to have the air conditioner on high especially on hot days so I went with my long yellow summer dress. Now I did need gas and the cheapest is at COSCO on airport way which is kind of on my way to the Escape plus there is a Starbucks a few blocks from there I have gone to a few times and even met Sherri there once so that was my plan.

Now a quick update on my nails, if you follow my blog you know I have had short neutral acrylic nails for almost 2 years now but last week when I got my nails done I tried something new and went a little bolder at least for the male side of my life. Well after a week not one person at work mentioned my nails, I guess it was no surprise for them, as a matter of fact I only got one comment on them and that was from a young girl at McDonalds drive through who told me she loved my nails. I actually chatted with her about nails for a minute or two before I pulled forward as there was no one behind me in line.

I got to COSCO and got in line for the fuel station. Well Oregon finally has self-serve fuel now so when it was my turn I got out and filled up my car with everyone else. The fuel was $4.59 which is sad to call that cheap but by my house it is $5 or more. It is amazing as years ago when I got gas as Susan it was always late at night and I would pick a station that was not busy and now I go to pretty much one of the busiest fuel stations.

From here I drove the ½ mile to the Starbucks on airport way and 122nd. and went in, this is a smaller one inside but not real busy as they have a huge outdoor seating area, probably 20 tables and that was where everyone was. It was a little after 4 so I had a little over an hours as I am maybe 10 minutes from the Escape. I got a drink and sat down and wrote my blog from Wednesday nights dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory and posted it. By now it was just after 5pm so I finished up a few things and then was on my way about 5:15, yes was only here about an hour. I got to the Escape just before 5:30 and there was only 1 other car in the parking lot, one of the reasons I like getting here early as they have a small parking lot. As I got out of my car the lady in the other car was also getting out. She said hi to me and we walked together and she stepped ahead of me and held the door open for me, which was nice and I thanked her. Now there were about 10 people inside which didn’t surprise me as this is a neighborhood bar so guessing a lot of people walk here. She went and joined her friends and I set my computer up on one of the tables and went and ordered dinner.

I went and sat down and checked my e-mails. Jan and Lynn had posted they would not make it and 2 other girls who are new to the group posted about where it was located and I replied but they didn’t say they were planning on coming so it might just be me. I did say I would stay till 7pm though so that was my plan. They had music videos playing on the screen which was kind of nice as it reminded me of MTV at least how it was when it was good, back when they played music videos. Yes at one time they were just like a radio station with video. I also did some work on my computer as I am researching some stocks I am interested in. yes for those who don’t know that about me I follow the stock market and manage my own stock account well at least now Susan does as that is how she helps out with my finances. My male side earns the money and my female side manages it and pays the bills.

My food came and as always it was really good, the burger basket. It was funny how fast the tome was going as soon it was 6:45pm so it was close to time to leave so I paid my bill and checked my e-mail and Chloe had posted she was just heading down, she is one of our newer girls to the group although full time so going out for her is easy. She lives out by Beaverton so I figured it would take her about ½ hour to get here so I decided to wait as I was looking forward to getting to know her better. I have only met her one time when she came to dinner with the group at Siam Lotus in Beaverton.

Chloe arrived about 7:20pm and it was nice to see her again, she had on the cutest dress, as a matter of fact one of the ladies who works here came over and told her how cute it was. As I said I have met her once before at dinner and it was a bigger group so I didn’t get to talk with her a lot and I really do like to have a chance to talk one on one and get to know the other girls. She ordered some food and sat down and we started to talk although with the music videos it was a little loud but not as bad as once karaoke starts. As I said she is full time and on her way to transitioning and she has a wife who is totally supportive along with a 24-year-old daughter although she does not look like she is old enough to have a daughter that age. I think the fact those of us in the transgender community, especially those of us who knew at a young age have really taken care of our skin and face. I have played with makeup sense I was 5 or 6 and I stared using moisturizer probably by the time I was 16 and got my first job.

We talked about a lot of things and I got to know more about her and I told her more about me, again years ago I would never have told someone this much about me. She did thank me for waiting for her which I was happy to do, I just told her I had my computer and did some work and she asked me what so I told her about checking on stocks and updating my blog about when I go out as Susan. Well she was interested in the idea of a blog as I told her it was a great way of recording your life even if you keep it private, which a few of our girls in the group do. I gave her a card with my blog web address on it and actually showed her my blog. I have had this blog sense 2006 and have 1900 blog posts. But I did tell her before this I had a blog on Yahoo 360 which closed down and I lost those but back then they were really basic and you can see what I mean if you look back at my early blogs on this sight. Well I think she is thinking about doing one.

Karaoke started and it got loud so it was a little harder to talk. A couple of other girls stopped in briefly, Kitty who was on her way home but missed her connecting bus so came in while she waited for the next one and Monica and her friend who were on their way somewhere else. Chloe and I talked till almost 10pm before we called it a night. It was really nice to get to know her and she is a really nice person and perfect for our group so I hope she can join us on a more regular basis but work for her interferes with Wednesday night dinners. I should have thought to get a picture with her.

It was about 10:30pm when I got home and it was a great day. Now I am looking forward to a little Susan time on Sunday. Wow didn’t realize how long this blog was, if you read all the way to here you are awesome.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Wednesday night dinner at Old Spaghetti factory on the Willamette River.

It is another Wednesday night dinner and I was looking forward to dinner tonight with my friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory on the Willamette River. It is a long week and I have been working long hours this week, going in at 3:30am and working 12-hour days which is okay for the money just makes for a short night especially tonight as I probably wont get home till 9:30 and have to be up at 2:30am to go to work but it is worth it to spend time with my friends. I got home from work about 5:30pm and started getting ready. Now Julie is still out of town and won’t make it tonight so I had a little more time getting ready but will miss her. I did a smokey eye look and a pinkish red lipstick and wore my short salmon color summer dress which was a cute look. I was all ready a little after 6pm and got a few pictures before leaving. Traffic was lite and I got to the Old Spaghetti factory about 6:40 and parked. Just as I parked Sherri texted me she had just got there so I texted back I had just parked and was heading in.

I saw Sherri getting out of her car so I walked over and we walked in together. It was great to see her again, she lives a couple hours away and tries to make it as often as she can but from late spring to early fall is her busy time so she is limited but always great to see her. I checked in as I made reservations last night which I think is good when we have a bigger group and tonight we have 8, possibly 9, yes Old Spaghetti factory we tend to get bigger groups. The only place that might be bigger on average is Who Song and Larry’s. I was thinking back and other then Who Song and Larry’s this is also one of the places our group has been coming to the longest so both places hold a special place for me. They said it would be about 10 minutes but wanted to wait till more of our group was here, which is normal. Sherri and I sat down and started talking, which is something I love to do as Susan.

It wasn’t long and others started to show up and by the time our table was ready we had 7 of us here. We were shown to our table and actually had a nice view of the river, or at least half our table did. I sat in the middle of the table but looking back towards the restaurant so I had my back to the window. It wasn’t long and the last of our group arrived, tonight we had 8 of us. Our waitress was awesome as always and we all ordered and yes I got my normal Chicken Parmesan, as a matter of fact I knew what I was going to have when I picked where we went tonight.

We sat and talked as we waited for our food, which really is the most enjoyable art of the evening. I have said it many times where we eat is not the most important part of our weekly dinners out but it is the spending time with my friends and socializing. For years this side of my life was hid in my house and to be able to go out to dinner at a restaurant as Susan with my friends is really one of life’s greatest joys. Our food came and as always it was really good. I would highly recommend the Old Spaghetti factory if you like Italian and want a nice view of the river. I would still give Giovanni’s a little higher mark but really just for 2 reasons, it is a family owned restaurant instead of a chain and much bigger portions bit as far as quality they are the same and the view and atmosphere here is better.

Tonight we had Christie, Jennifer, Sherri, Alex, Kris, me, Michelle, & Laurie. Jennifer remembered to ask our waitress to get a group picture but it was while we were eating so this was the one I looked the best in as I had a mouth full for the first 2. We had a wonderful dinner and just so enjoyable and yes with the bigger group it was harder to talk with everyone but I did my best, the reason I like to sit as close to the middle of the table as I can.

We had a wonderful dinner and it was about 8:40 when we paid our bill, which was a little earlier then normal but as I have to be up for work at 2:30am tonight I was okay with ending the evening a little earlier. As we got up we all got together and talked for a couple minutes as this gave everyone a chance to say hi and talk to everyone. Jennifer asked me to take a picture of her and Sherri as they did have similar colored dresses but also because of their height. Now for most of the girls in our group we are tall for women. I am 6 foot in flats which I wore my sandals tonight, Jennifer is a little taller then me but Sherri is one of our taller members so by contrast it makes her look a little more petite. Now we all know we are talk and it makes us stand out more, one reason I always try to take my pictures from a down angle. I got there picture and Jennifer asked if I wanted one with Sherri, which I did as I just love getting pictures of myself and especially with other girls. I did ask Sherri if she minded me posting it and she was fine with it as I figured it was more visible then the group picture. I never try to post a picture without making sure the other people are okay with it, one reason I don’t post pictures from dinners when spouses join us.

It was about 8:45 when we left so I figured I would be home a little after 9 as it only took 25 minutes to get here and there would be less traffic this time of night. ell that was not the case as it turns out they did an I-5 bridge lift and it must have been a long one as traffic was horrible. It took me 54 minutes to get home so it was almost 10pm when I got home. It would have been a great night to have Julie ride with me as we would have had a lot of extra time to talk. It was a great night though bit it will be a short night as it takes longer to get ready for bed as Susan as I have to remove my makeup and moisturize my face. I will be tired tomorrow but it was so worth it.

Now I am looking forward to the weekend and some more Susan time and I am planning on going to the Escape Saturday and seeing if I can get anyone to join me.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life’s journey with me.

 

 

 

 

A hot and sunny day at Starbucks inside staying cool

It is a beautiful but hot day out, 101 degrees today and the next 4 days will be between 101 & 106 so even Wednesday nights dinner will be a hot day. I still have my blog to write from yesterdays trip to the nail salon and sone e-mails and work to do so yes I am going to brave the heat and go to Starbucks for a couple hours. It was about 1:30pm when I started getting ready and took my time, today I felt like using mi purple eye shadow pallet and yes I tried a winged eye liner and it came out pretty well. It was a little after 2:30pm when I was ready and took several pictures and tried to get my nails in them as they really are kind of cute. Will be interesting to see if I get any compliments on them at work this week. I drove to my normal Sunday Starbucks and there were several people sitting outside even though it was in the mid 90’s right now, but for me I will be sitting inside.

I went in and ordered my drink and sat down at a table by the window, they really were not busy probably because of the heat but as I had things I needed to do on my computer today this was perfect. I started working on my bog from yesterdays trip to dream nails to get a pedicure and fill and yes a little more bold on my nails. coming to Starbucks really is a relaxing way to spend a few hours and as I had things I had to do being at Starbucks as Susan doing them is way better then sitting at home or as my male self, doing them. it is my way of blending the two sides of me, yes writing my blog and sending out info for our zoom call and Wednesday nights dinner is on my female side of my life but the other stuff I had to do deals with my male life.

For years my female side was hid away and my male side took care of everything including things for my female side, like buying clothes and makeup. Now days the things I can do as Susan eve if for my males side I do as it is kind of my way of paying back and making this side of me feel like it is not only part of who I am but also contributing to my life. My male side still works and earns the money but my female side of it takes care of it.

I was almost finished with my blog when Greer stopped by, she had planned on stopping by last Sunday but had to cancel as she was running late. She actually lives just a couple blocks from this Starbucks. It was great to see her again as I think the last time was when we had lunch back in January. She has gone full time and has switched everything over now to her female name at least she hopes as there always seems like something gets overlooked. for maybe ½ hour and it was really nice. Even though Starbucks is kind of my me time I really do enjoy having friends share it with me. We did talk about nails a little as I really wanted to show my nails off, it was a really enjoyable time. After she left I finished what I needed to do, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

I stayed here till a little after 5:30 before leaving, I did think about sitting outside for a while but it was still almost 100 and even in the shade to hot. Now being so hot I didn’t want to have to cook when I got home, yes I do have central air and my house will be about 75 inside but I have found that when it is over 100 and as my house gets all the sun on the south and east side in the afternoon my walls heat up and my air conditioning does struggle a little so I decided to stop by Panda Express and get dinner. I went in and only a couple people in front of me in line and again the lady I have gotten to know here who knows what I order every time was not here. This is the 3^rd time she has not been here and I am wondering if she got moved to another Panda Express as I think she was close to management. I got my food and went home to eat.

At home I ate and watched a movie I had recorded. It was just before 9 and just starting to get a little dark so I spent about 15 minutes out on my back deck watering my grape plants as the next few days will be in the low 100’s which I have done as Susan before. After that I also needed to water my palm trees in my front yard right by the road and I went and got my hose out and walked out and spent about 15 to 20 minutes out front watering as Susan. a few neighbors drove by while I was out there but I just kept on watering. It was a fun day. It was about 10pm when I washed away my makeup and went to bed.

Now I am looking forward to the week ahead and of course our zoom call and Wednesday nights diner but also wondering if I will get any questions or compliments on my nails. As you can tell from how I am showing off my nails in my picture I like them.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday trip to Dream nails to get my nails done and also Starbucks.

It is Saturday and I am going to Dream nails later today for a pedicure and a fill on my nails. I got up a little earlier and went to the gym at 8am as I have a little yard work I need to do today also as the next 5 to 6 days are going to be hot around 100 degrees. I spent about 1 ½ at the gym and then came home and did some yard work but by 11:30 it was already in the low 80’s so I finished up and decided to start getting ready as Susan early. I took my time getting ready as I wanted to enjoy doing my makeup. I was already just before 1pm and got a couple pictures before calling Dream nails to see if I could get in. Anna asked if I could come at 2:15 and I said yes so I had a little over an hour so I figured I would go to the Starbucks right by my house as it is also really close to Dream nails as I didn’t want to waste time driving.

I got to Starbucks and went in; they were a little busy but most were getting drinks to go so I was able to get a table along the window. I went and ordered my drink and Bree took my order, she is the one who always talks to me when I come here which is nice and today was no exception. She complimented me on my nails which I love and I told her I was going to get them filled today. We talked a little about nails, she wants acrylic nails but evidently Starbucks does not allow long or artificial nails I guess for health reasons. Well I got my drink and sat down and started on Wednesday nights blog.

I figured I could stay here till a little after 2pm as it takes less then 5 minutes to get to Dream nails from here. Now I was also looking at pictures of acrylic nails for what I want, if you have read my blogs the last week I am thinking of getting a light cream or pink color on the outer corner of my ring finger as I don’t think it would be that noticeable. The question is if I can go through with it as being gel polish I cant just remove if I change my mind. I did find a couple pictures that I thought would work. Well as I sat there about 1:45 my phone rang and t was Dream nails. Anna said she had just finished and wanted to know if I wanted to come in now and I said yes and told her I would be there in a couple minutes. I walked into Dream nails at 1:50 pm and Anna was ready for me as she had the foot bath already so I sat right down, Anna actually picked out a color for my toes and asked if I wanted it. Now I had been thinking about doing a bright pink on my toes this time as I always get a red, the color she picked out was called Blossom Orchid and was a pink color so I said yes.

Anna started on my pedicure and it was so wonderful, I can’t recommend getting a pedicure enough. It is one of the most relaxing and pampering things you can do for yourself. The other thing I like is Anna always talks to me when I am here, about what is going on, her family and even her remodel which has been going on for over a year now but she is really close to having it done. The guy was souse to finish last week but she had a death in her family so had to take a few days off and that messed it up. Anna pretty much works 7 days a week all year and I told her, I don’t know how she does it, she needs to take a little time for herself. It really is an enjoyable experience of course I have been coming here for over 8 years now so I do know Anna and a couple other ladies here pretty well. Now as she did my pedicure I was thinking about my nail fill and if I should have the color put on the corner as I will have to tell her when she starts my nails. It took about 50 minutes for Anna to finish my pedicure and then I moved over to her nail table for my fill, it was now or never.

I sat down and as Anna got ready I told her I wanted to do my nails as normal but with a light pink or creamy pink on the outer corner of my nail as I showed her a picture on my phone. She looked at the picture and said she could do it and asked if I wanted the same color she had put on my toes which would have looked awesome but way to bright and noticeable so I said no, just a light color a little more noticeable then what I currently do. Anna then asked if I wanted this on all my nails or just the ring finger, well I did hesitate and Anna said she could do one nail and see how I liked it so that was the plan. Anna started on my nails and removed the old gel polish and shortened my nails and got them ready for the fill. Then came the fille, shaping and smoothing of my nails. I went and washed my hands and came back for the gel polish and to see what my one nail would look like. Now normally Anna puts 2 coats of the gel polish called Wedding dress and a topcoat witch gives my nails a slight neutral color all the way to the tip.

Today she did just one coat or the wedding dress so my nails looked more natural as you could see the tips of my nails which kind of made them look longer. Anna brought out the gel polish to do the corner of my ring finger and it really was a bright pink and I said wow that is bright. Anna said well let’s see how it looks as we can always wipe it off which is the great thing about gel polish as till you put it under the UV light it can just be wiped away. Well it was way too bright; I could have just as easily done a red color as it wouldn’t have been any more noticeable. I told her I needed a more neutral less noticeable color so she went and picked out 2 other colors and I looked at them and settled on one that I would call a slight creamy pink. Anna put a little on my nail and asked how it looked and it was cute and really not that noticeable so I said this was the one. She then asked about the rest of my nails or just the ring finger and in a moment of weakness I said lets do all of them as it was very subtle. Well Anna started on my nails and actually made it a crescent from the side of my nail all the way across the tip of the nails. As I put my left hand in the light she did my right hand. Next Anna put a second coat on the tip and this made it stand out a lot more at least up close. I am guessing from a distance it would still be neutral but close up they stood out. With 2 coats on she took a silver glitter and I asked her about it and she said it just soften the line between them so I let her put that on also and really it was less noticeable then the color. She finished it off with a topcoat which as always makes it pop and yes my nails look incredible bit they are way more noticeable than I had planned, but in a moment of weakness I kept them. It will be an interesting week ahead at work. I paid for them and gave Anna a good tip and told her I would see her and a few weeks. Anna did a fantastic job. Let me know what you think of my nails?

It was 3:30 so I drove back across the street to Starbucks as I still needed to finish my bog from Wednesday nights dinner. They were a little busier than earlier but I got a drink and sat down and finished my blog and posted it. It was a little after 5 when I left and made a quick stop at Panda Express as with the heat I didn’t want to cook at home and also realized I hadn’t eaten all day. They were not busy so it was a quick in and out and then home to enjoy my air-conditioned house the rest of the evening.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Wednesday night dinner at Thai Bloom with my friends

It is Wednesday and that means having dinner with my friends. Our group has been doing Wednesday night dinner for more then 13 years now, well with the exception of during Covid. It is a great was to spend time as my female self and interact with others. I really look forward to this social interaction each week. I got home a little after 5pm and started getting ready, tonight I had a little more time as Julie is out of town visiting her daughter so I will miss driving with her and talking as that makes Wednesday nights that much ore special. I took my time getting ready as I wanted to look extra special tonight. Tonight Jennifer coordinated dinner and not only is her wife joining her but also her sister and brother-in-law. Jennifer is out to her whole family and they are all supportive, but I did want to make a good impression on her family. I was already a little after 6pm. I did a smokey eye look with browns and silver which I think is a classy look and of course went with a bright red lipstick. I got a few pictures and then was on my way. The traffic was light and it was a nice drive but quiet as I didn’t have Julie to talk with.

I got to Thai Bloom at 6:45 and had just parked when Jennifer pulled in so we all met in the parking lot. Jennifer introduced me to her sister Lisa and Brother-in-law Dan; they are visiting them for the week from Utah. As we were talking Barb pulled in so we were almost all here now. We all walked in together and of course our table was ready for us. A few minutes later Alex showed up so we were all here, Jennifer, Mary Ann, Lisa, Dan, Barb, Alex and of course me. I sat across from Mary Ann, and Jennifer was to her left and then Dan, Lisa sat next to me with Barb on my left and then Alex. We did get a group picture and we all looked great but I don’t like posting pictures without everyone’s permission especially when it is the family of one of the girls so that picture will be just for me. we all ordered our drinks and then talked for a little bit. Lisa and Dan were both awesome and very accepting of us and of course Lisa had lots of questions mostly about us personally and not so much about the transgender part. More like getting to know friends. She did tell us about her and Dan so we could get to know them also. Now I am Sure Jennifer told her about us as she did know a little about us which broke the ice and made it more like friends getting together. She was interested in how we pit our nails on as far as the tape we use, of course I haven’t done that for a couple years now as I have had acrylic nails.

Now don’t get me wrong I love my nails but I do miss using the temporary ones as I could do different colors when I went out. I guess it is a trade off as I have beautiful nails all the time but don’t get to have bright colors on Wednesday nights. I did tell her about the tape I used to use from Home Depot to hold my nails on which you can read about in my blog here. Well we ordered our food and yes I got the beef and broccoli which is really good, Jennifer got the same thing. Our food came and we had a great dinner and wonderful conversation and Lisa and Dan ft right in as though they had been members of our group for years. It really is so wonderful that Jennifer’s family is so accepting of her and this side of her life.

After dinner we did sit for a while and talk and Lisa and Dan made sure they talked a little with each of us. We did talk about Diva Las Vegas a little and Lisa said she had not been to Las Vegas in 20 years so really she has not been there as in that time it has really changed. She was interested in Diva Las Vegas and also Esprit which Jennifer has been to both twice. I am really looking forward to Diva which is about 2 ½ months away now, I am all registered and hotel room booked at the Flamingo.

It was almost 9 pm when the bill came, Dan Jennifer’s brother-in-law told the waitress to put it all on his bill so he paid for the table which was really nice but not necessary. I told him and Lisa they didn’t need to do that but they insisted so I thanked them. We talked a little more and I told Lisa and Dan they were welcome to join our zoom calls if they wanted and were welcome to join us for Wednesday night dinner’s when they were in town. Well we all walked out together and to the parking lot behind, yes Thai Bloom has a small parking lot behind you can use after 5:30pm or on weekends which is nice as you don’t have to worry about street parking.

It was a quiet drive home not having Julie to talk with. I got home about 9:30 and watched a little TV before washing away my makeup and going back to my male self. It was a really fun night and now I am looking forward to the weekend and some more Susan time and yes a trip to Dream nails for a pedicure and nail fill, which I need. This is something I really look forward to every 3 weeks. Next week’s weather is going to be hot, right around 100 degrees give or take a couple degrees

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

 

 

Sunday at Starbucks for a couple hours as Susan

It’s another nice summer day, mostly overcast but 79 degrees out. I got home a little after 1pm and started getting ready for some Susan time at Starbucks as I need to write my blog from Saturday. I took my time getting ready and tried a different look on my eyes today, still a smokey eye look but a little more bold. Usually I do the darker shade on the outer corner and lighter on the inner corner and brow bone but today I tried lighter on the lid and brow bone, not sure I like it as well but fun to try something new. Playing wit makeup and trying different looks never gets old to me. I was all ready a little after 2pm and on my way to Starbucks. It only took a couple minutes to get to Starbucks and I went in, they are not as busy today, 3 people sitting at tables inside and 5 at tables outside. I got my drink and sat down to work on Saturday’s blog.

I guess I should give an update on Diva Las Vegas, as you know if you read my blog from last week you know I booked my room at the Flamingo for October 22^nd to 27^th and was waiting to hear if I got my vacation time at work. Well my vacation was approved so I am all set. Last year I took two weeks the week before and week of but this year I couldn’t do that so I have the week of and week after, October 21^st through November 5^th off so I guess I could have stayed longer in Las Vegas. I am hoping to slide out of work a little early on that Friday so I can get my nails done Friday night. I have had short neutral acrylic nails now for almost 2 years and I go every 3^rd Saturday to get my fills as at 2 weeks I don’t really need a fill and at 4 the grow out looks bad which brings me to a dilemma. If I go every 3 weeks I would go on the Saturday the week before October 14^th so I either have to go 4 weeks to get to before my trip or do a couple 2 weeks between. Well I have a couple months to figure that out. by the way there is still time to sign up for Diva Las Vegas which is less then 3 months away. My first trip to Diva Las Vegas was in 2010 and sense then I have gone a total of 10 times now, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, & 2022, yes I was looking back through my blogs.

Looking back I have had my blog on WordPress sense November of 2006 of course back then it really was just for me to document when I was Susan so they were shorter blogs. Actually prior to WordPress I did have a blog on Yahoo 360 till they shut that down and unfortunately I lost those blogs but again just really documenting my time dressed and was pretty much at home or a late-night drive. I really recommend doing a blog or journal even if you keep it private just for you as it s a great way to keep a record of events and things you do in your life. By the way this blog will be my 1,893 blog I have posted on WordPress over those years. I do want to than those who read and follow my blog as when I Started it I really didn’t think anyone would even find it yet alone read it or subscribe to it.

I sent out the invite to our group for our Monday night zoom call and caught up on some e-mails and a couple Slack messages, Greer replied back and she is heading out around 4pm and said she would stop in and see me for a few minutes which will be nice to catch up with her. I started working on Saturdays blog and got it posted. I find I can write my blogs faster here at Starbucks as I am not as distracted as I am at home as I would have the TV on at home. The other thing is I am not that interested in transforming into Susan and sitting at home. over the last few years I have come to realize that my female self is a social girl as far as she likes to be out and around people. Now I do have a need to be able to express this side of myself on a regular basis and that is why I go to Starbucks so much. Now yes having painted toenails and acrylic nails do help but that is more for me as I really don’t think bare toenails look good especially mine and I love having nice fingernails even in my male side. But just having my nails done does not take care of my need to be Susan or express this side of me.

Now as I have said many tines for me it really is all about the makeup and I could probably just do a whole face of makeup and not dress but what fun would that be. I would just be a man wearing makeup plus going out in public with full makeup as a man I don’t think I could do, yes I have gone out with light eye shadow and mascara and maybe a very light neutral lipstick. Now I have tried to explain how I feel and the need to do this to other people and it is a hard thing to really understand, even if I don’t fully understand it. By that I mean the reason I have this need, yes I do feel I have a definite feminine side that I need to express but why I have these feelings is what I am talking about. It is like ice cream which I love but how do you explain to someone why you like it. there are lots of things in our life we like but the I love the color red some people don’t or like another color better. What I am saying is we all have things we like and don’t like and we cant really explain the science behind those likes as they are all based on our individual taste, like, life experiences and so on. It is what makes us all unique and special individuals instead of everyone being the same.

It was a little before 4pm when a few tables outside opened up and I decided to move out to one of them as it really is a nice day, partly sunny now. Being able to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather is so enjoyable and doing it as Susan is even better. Over the past 15+ years I have gone from only dressing at home, to late night drive to going out in public, to going to places right by where I live and sitting out front for everyone to see. It has been a wonderful journey of discovery and really was made possible by the wonderful friends I have made in our group and met along the way. It was about 5pm and I was reading the news when I heard someone say hi Susan and I looked up and it was Sandy, I met here several weeks ago here as she was coming here pretty regularly on Sundays also but I haven’t seen her for a while. We talked for a few minutes before she went in and got her drink to go. I stayed till a little after 5 before going home to make dinner and do some laundry.

It was a beautiful weekend and now I am looking forward to the week ahead. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

A beautiful summer Saturday to enjoy a little Susan time.

I got up and did my normal trip to the gym for my workout, actually this week I did go on Tuesday on my way home also I got home from the gym about 10:15 and took care of a few things around the house before I started getting ready. Today I do have a few things planned as I need to stop by Home Depot and pick a few things up for my yard. I also want to go to Willamette National cemetery and put flowers on my parents grave as this Wednesday would have been my mom’s 95^th birthday and of course that means going to Fred Meyers and getting flowers and yes Starbucks to write my blog from Wednesday night’s dinner. I took my time getting ready as doing my makeup and transforming myself is half the fun. I was already by 1pm and grabbed my computer and off I went. Now today is a perfect summer day for me, slightly overcast and about 79 out with no wind.

My first stop was Home Depot at Airport way. I went in and got a cart and off I went shopping. What I needed was bug spray for my grape plants and some weed killer and I figured as long as I was here I would get some fertilizer I will need for the fall. Now being Saturday they were kind of busy but now days that doesn’t seem to bother me. I got what I needed and paid and left, yes they only had one checkout open and the rest were self-checkout which I don’t prefer when I am out as Susan but I wasn’t willing to wat in the long line. I left here and off I went to Fred Meyers at Johnson Creek to get my flowers, I forgot there is a Home Depot there also I could have stopped at. I went into Fred Meyers and got my flowers and they were not that busy so it was a quick in and out and yes they also had mostly self-checkout. I think with the economy and rising minimum wages businesses are looking for ways to cut labor and employee’s, as a matter of fact most McDonalds, if you go inside have kiosks where you order for yourself and pay with a credit card instead of having an employee take your order.

Now I was off to the Cemetery and there were other people there putting flowers on graves but only one group of 4 in the same section I was in. I went and placed the flowers on the grave and spent about 30 minutes here. It is hard to believe it has been over 2 years sense my mom passed away (June 11, 2021) and almost 5 years since my dad passed away, (September 20, 2018), time is just going by so fast. Birthdays and holidays are always harder as those were always family events for me. I did get a couple pictures here also. It was just after 3pm when I left, as I said it is the perfect day out so I decided to go back to the Starbucks by my house and sit outside for a while and write my Wednesday night blog.

I got to the Starbucks by my house just after 3pm and there were 2 people sitting outside, different tables but as they have 5 outside tables I would be fine especially as the one I like to sit at by the door was open. I went in and got my drink and yes the man I see at my Sunday Starbucks almost every week was sitting inside here today. I think he comes here on Saturday and goes to the other one on Sunday, kind of like I do. I got my drink and went and sat outside. I started work on my blog which I really do like writing when I am out as Susan as I feel more like I am writing about myself. Yes it is true that both halves of me make up the whole person I am so there really is not a difference but for so many years everything about Susan was hidden. I even bought all my female stuff as my male self so being able to do things as my female self is wonderful, probably why I went to Home Depot as Susan today. Now the one man sitting at the table next to me seemed to be waiting and shortly after I sat down another lady showed up and joined him and from what I could hear of their conversation which I really wasn’t trying to listen to it was their first date shall we say. I am guessing they met online and arranged to meet here and get to know each other. Well I just worked on my blog and got it posted. I then caught up on some e-mails and other things. It really was a beautiful day for sitting outside and people watching. It was a little before 5:30 one of the ladies working here came out to close the umbrella’s before they closed and stopped and talked to me briefly by name which always makes me feel good, she also asked if I wanted another drink before they closed but I was almost finished with what I needed to do so said no and thanked her. I stayed till about 5:50 before packing up and leaving.

I decided to run to Panda Express and get some dinner to take home and they were really busy tonight so I had to stand in line. By the way lots of young people are here today, probably 14 young girls of high school age. It took about 15 minutes to get my food and I was on my way home for the night. I had a nice dinner and then did a little housework, mainly cleaning the kitchen before I watched TV for the rest of the night. It was a good day. Now I am looking forward to a little Susan time tomorrow and the week ahead.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.